Four
by Always a Bookworm
Summary: Mana never expected that one expedition into the woods to find a dryad would end with so much heart-ache, but then again she didn’t expect to fall for a water sprite either. ManaxKisara, Written for Contest, AU


**Hiya! This is Formershipping (ManaxKisara) for Round 8 of the contest.**

**This is very, very different to anything I've written before. I hope you like it (even though it's stupidly long for a oneshot), because I had a ridiculous amount of fun writing it, even though the pairing threw me a little bit at first! ^^**

**Pairings: Formershipping (Mana x Kisara) and also Vaseshipping (Mana x Atemu) and Mizushipping (Kisara x Set)**

**Warnings: GirlxGirl (very light)**

**Other Stuff: AU, Fantasy**

**Enjoy reading! ^^**

* * *

Mana grumbled under her breath as she shifted the heavy bag on her shoulder. "Why me? Why is it always me? You'd think Master Mahado had it in for me especially… Just because I forgot about that stupid essay on dryads… No-one else has to go and capture one! Oh no, it's all right for everyone else to just write an essay, but Mana has to go and catch the bloody creature to show the rest of the class! This is so unfair… I can't believe I have to do this… Why couldn't Master Mahado do it? He'd probably have caught one by now… This is the worst punishment ever."

It was the middle of a sweltering hot day, and Mana was traipsing through the leafy, green shade of the forest with a bundle of equipment on her aching back, blisters on her feet, and an extremely bad temper. This wasn't improved by the thought that all of her classmates had been given the rest of the day off due to the heat, and were probably all lounging around on the lawns of the Academy, whilst she had to hike through a forest to somehow find an extremely shy creature that was probably disguised as a tree, in under five hours.

_It's all your fault, you know, _a little voice nagged at the back of her mind. _If you'd done the essay in the first place, you wouldn't have been punished, and you would be back at the school right now._

Mana scowled even more deeply, and moodily kicked at a branch lying across her path. She had completely forgotten about the homework Master Mahado had set them on dryads, despite her best friend reminding her several times. Atemu, of course, had done it the night it was set, which left him a week of free time in the evenings.

Mana sighed, irritably. Atemu was the golden boy of the school; best in all of his lessons, handing in his homework on time, always achieving the highest grades and (most annoyingly) he had an extraordinary knack with magical creatures. Unfortunately, he also happened to be Mana's best friend, and therefore it was hard to resent him for it. He'd even offered to come with her on this punishment task, but Mana had told him not to.

Determinedly, she quickened her pace. She could do this! She'd show them all that she wasn't just the hopeless, clumsy clown, that couldn't seem to do anything right. She would capture a dryad, and then they'd all see; she didn't need Atemu's help to do everything!

It was then that she came upon a shaded clearing, pierced here and there by shafts of green sunlight, silent but for a few bursts of bird song, and the rustle of a pixie, or some other creature, in the undergrowth.

"Perfect," Mana smiled to herself, and settled quietly down to wait.

* * *

Several hours later, Mana was jolted from her doze. Blinking sleepily, she was astonished to see, right in front of her, a long-limbed, green-skinned girl who didn't appear to have noticed her. The dryad sang quietly to itself, as it moved gracefully around the clearing, almost as though it was dancing. Silently thanking whatever Gods were listening for her good luck, Mana shifted slightly closer to her bag. Slipping her hand quietly into the front pocket, she drew out a small wooden blowpipe and a poisoned dart.

The poison wasn't lethal, but it was enough to knock the dryad out for a few hours, which would enable Mana to bind its wrists and ankles, and carry it back to the Academy. Dryads, although human size, were extremely light, so Mana didn't think it would be too much of a challenge.

Suddenly, the creature's pointed ears pricked up, and it froze. Mana did the same, not daring to breathe, her hand clutching the blowpipe.

In one fluid movement, the dryad whipped its head around, glimpsed Mana, and promptly raced out of the clearing into the wood.

"No!" Mana yelled, desperately. "I'm not going to hurt you! Please come back." But the dryad was gone.

Mana sank back to the ground in frustration; she would never catch it now, as it would have transformed back into a tree almost instantly, blending into the forest with its brothers and sisters. Besides, it was getting dark, and it would be impossible to find anything in the dense trees in the dusky twilight.

"Damn it!" she growled to herself, fingering the blowpipe. It could be hours before another one turned up. Maybe she should just go back to the school and admit that she'd failed.

Mana was just thinking, forlornly, that she'd never live this down, when she heard singing coming from the trees to her left.

Another dryad! It could only be that, only a magical creature could have such a powerful, beautiful voice.

Mana slipped quietly through the trees, heart pounding in excitement. She was so caught up in the unearthly music that she almost fell down a steep slope. She crouched down behind a small bush, and peered curiously through the leaves. The path had ended, abruptly, and there was a steep drop of a few metres that led down to a small pool surrounded by trees and lit up by the faintly shining moon.

In the middle of the pool stood the most beautiful girl Mana had ever seen.

She was sitting on a rock, running her fingers through the water as if in a dream. Blue hair fell down her back like a waterfall, and her light-blue skin glimmered in the half-light. She wore a simple blue dress, quite similar to the Mana's cream uniform, but she went barefoot, and there were water-lilies in her hair. Mana could dimly see pale-blue webbing between her fingers and toes. She was singing softly to herself. The music was even more enchanting now that Mana was closer, and the mage was mesmerised by the sound.

It was like… a bubbling stream, a rushing waterfall, the calm _whoosh_ of the waves, the echo of the sea, all mixed into one haunting lullaby. It was beautiful, and dangerous, and completely unforgettable.

Mana shook her head in disbelief, not daring to trust her eyes. She had gone looking for a creature that was shy, but relatively common. She'd stumbled across one of the most elusive beings that walked the earth.

A water sprite.

Mana had to stop herself from shouting out loud in delight. This was _perfect_. Water sprites were so rare, that if she took one back to the Academy she would be remembered forever! Her name would be written down in the history books, her teachers would never scold her again, she would be admired by all of her classmates…. A grin spread across her face. This was utterly brilliant!

Desperately trying to avoid attracting the sprite's attention, Mana crawled slowly forward to the edge. Breathlessly, she gripped her blowpipe, and just as she was raising it to her lips, already mentally celebrating her achievement…

A twig cracked under her knee.

No! She thought, as the sprite turned its head dreamily towards her.

Mana's breath caught in her throat, as the sprite gazed at her. Its eyes were a deep, cerulean blue, and it felt like they were probing her very soul. Mana sat stock still, staring back at the sprite, held captive by those piercing eyes.

The spell was suddenly broken as the sprite glanced away, and slid off the rock into the water with barely a splash.

Mana jumped up in horror. There was no way she was letting something this good slip through her fingers. She abandoned her pack, and tumbled down the slope, tripping over her own feet and landing with a start at the very edge of the pool.

The sprite had sunk so deep that only its eyes and the top of her head were visible, its hair fanned out on the surface of the water. It hadn't escaped, although it easily could have in the time it had taken Mana to stumble down the slope. It merely stared at Mana curiously, as though it was interested to see what she did next.

Mana (who had abandoned all sense of stealth by this time) quickly raised the blowpipe to her lips, and blew with all her might. The dart whizzed past its head, missing it by a hairsbreadth. The sprite's eyes widened in alarm, and it ducked under the water.

"Oh, no you don't," Mana muttered to herself, angrily. She shoved another dart into the pipe, and began to wade into the pool.

It was much deeper than she had anticipated. The worry that she might end up having to swim nagged at the back of her mind, but she ignored it and carried on. The water was icy-cold, and weeds brushed at her feet. Blindly, she tried to feel around in the dark water for the sprite.

Then a lot of things happened at once.

The ground beneath her feet vanished, and she was stranded in the middle of the pool. Frantically, she moved her limbs, but they seemed to be made of lead and were merely pulling her down. Mana panicked as she sank below the surface, reaching up for the glow of the distant moon, desperately kicking her feet to find the shelf that she'd just walked off.

Time had stopped. Mana's vision blurred, and she gave up the fight, too exhausted to struggle with the water any more. Her lungs were bursting for air, she couldn't think, she couldn't feel, she couldn't see, she couldn't even taste the bitter pond water leaking into her mouth as the darkness began to close in on her….

But… there was something. Yes, she could definitely feel something.

Something tugging. On her arms? And she didn't seem to be sinking anymore. At least, Mana didn't think she was going_ down_. Maybe she was just floating in that dark oblivion. Hang on… was she going up?

And then, suddenly, she was in the air again, shattering the surface of the water into a million droplets as she gulped and spluttered in an effort to make her lungs work again. Her body felt like jelly, too weak to move, and yet she wasn't sinking. There was something holding her up.

She twisted her head slightly, and immediately swallowed a mouthful of water in shock. The sprite was holding her gently in its arms with a kindly yet anxious expression on its face that Mana would usually associate with a mother that had just rescued her child from some sort of scrape.

"Wh-wha-wh…" she choked, staring wildly at the stunning face just inches away from her own.

"Don't try to speak," the sprite said, in a musical voice. "Just relax. You're safe."

Mana leaned back onto the sprite's shoulder, as the creature swam powerfully in the direction of land.

She stared up at the stars, and tried to control her breathing. Why had the sprite saved her? She had shot at her, scared her, why had she helped her? Mana's mind was in turmoil. Suddenly, she felt the sand graze against her wet skin as the sprite pulled her onto shore, and she dug her fingers into the muddy sand in relief.

Mana leaned up on one elbow, avoiding the sprite's inquisitive gaze.

"Why?" she asked, numbly.

The sprite smiled. "I don't know why," she replied, calmly. "I didn't want you to drown, that's all."

Mana nodded, still too shocked from her near-drowning and rescue to form a coherent sentence. The sprite eyed her, "Are you alright? You didn't hurt yourself, did you?"

"No," Mana said, "I think I'm okay. Thank you. You saved my life."

The sprite shrugged, and lowered herself gracefully onto the sand beside Mana. "I'll sit with you until you're strong enough to go back. Better safe than sorry."

Mana shot her a grateful look, but couldn't think of anything to say.

After a pause, the sprite chuckled slightly. "Did they never teach you to swim at your fancy mage's school?"

Mana glared at her, reproachfully. "That 'fancy mage's school' happens to be the finest Academy of Magic in the whole of the realm!" she answered, hotly, "So don't mock it. You wouldn't understand anyway, you're not even human."

Mana regretted the words the moment they were out of her mouth.

The sprite looked at her in shock, and then scowled. "Oh, I forgot. I wouldn't understand. I'm just a sprite, not a human like you. I'm sorry I'm disgracing your presence, I'll leave!"

She made to stand up, but Mana grabbed at her hand, and pleaded, "No, stay. Please. I didn't mean it, it came out wrong. I only meant that you may not know how prestigious the Academy is…." Mana trailed off, but to her relief the sprite sat back down.

"Of course I know how 'prestigious' your school is," she said, rather stiffly. "Everyone knows."

Mana nodded, awkwardly.

"Sorry," she mumbled. "I've got a lot to learn. I… I didn't know that your kind concerned yourselves much with the outside world."

The sprite's expression softened slightly. "Well, I suppose I can forgive you for that. I've always been considered a bit odd by my race. Usually we keep ourselves to ourselves, but I always wished I could go out and see the rest of the realm. I always wanted I could talk to the students that go to the Academy, even if it was just for a few minutes. They always seemed… so full of life. So_ happy_. I envy you," she said, with a wistful expression, "You can do anything, you can be anything. I'll probably be stuck in a lake for the rest of my life."

Mana remained silent, not knowing what to say.

"You were shooting at me earlier," the sprite murmured, casually, as though this wasn't a completely random change of conversation.

Mana looked up, guiltily. "Um…"

The sprite laughed, shaking her head. "It's alright. I understand. It's the whole magical creature-human gap again." She shot Mana a grave look, although her eyes twinkled. "Just because I'm different to you doesn't mean you can shoot me in the neck and cart me back to your school to show off to your friends!"

"I was going to set you free straight after!" Mana replied, defensively. "But I'm sorry."

The sprite smiled at her, and placed her cold, webbed hand on top of Mana's.

"What's your name?" Mana asked, suddenly. As the sprite raised an inquisitive eyebrow, Mana blushed. "I didn't have a chance to ask you before. Too busy shooting at you."

The sprite laughed a tinkling laugh. "Kisara. And yours?"

"Mana."

"It's nice to meet you, Mana."

Mana returned Kisara's bright smile. "And you."

* * *

_Four hours later_

* * *

Mana staggered onto her bed, burrowing underneath the covers in exhaustion. What a crazy night- finding a water sprite, then nearly drowning, being rescued, and finally making _friends_ with the creature…

Suddenly the room was flooded with light to reveal her friends all crowded round her bed.

"Well?" Atemu asked, excitedly. "What happened? How come you're back so late? It's three in the morning!"

Mana eyed him suspiciously. "How did you get in here- this is a girl's dormitory! And you two, for that matter." She pointed accusingly at Ryou and Bakura, the warlock twins that specialised in the occult, and who also happened to share a dorm with Atemu.

Bakura grinned. "Atemu woke us up crashing into my bed on his way out. Plus we want to know what happened."

There was a fresh murmur of interest from the assorted teenagers leaning on her bed.

Mana rolled her eyes, "I'm completely shattered, so I'm going to make this quick."

She told her rapt audience everything, from losing the dryad, and discovering the water sprite, to her rescue and conversation with Kisara.

When she'd finished, she was met with a crowd of wide-eyes and dropped jaws.

"No way," whispered Anzu. "A water sprite? Really?"

"Yep!" Mana grinned. "I know, it's insane, isn't it!"

Ryou spoke up. "I did hear there was meant to be a few living around here," he said, awestruck, "But I never thought they'd be that close."

Atemu was watching Mana closely. "You sure you're alright?" he asked in concern. "It sounds like you nearly drowned!"

Mana smiled at her friend gratefully. "Thanks, but I'm fine. Seriously, Kisara took great care of me."

Bakura shook his head. "You're actually referring to a water sprite by its first name. I must be dreaming."

Mana shoved him. "Oh, shut up."

"Did you tell Master Mahado?" whispered Miho.

Mana nodded. "Yeah, he says the staff will hold a meeting about it tomorrow. He says if I'm lucky, then I'll get special permission to go back to the lake and ask Kisara if she'll meet with them!"

"That'll be amazing," Atemu said, squeezing Mana's hand. "I'm so happy for you." Mana was about to reply when the screech of the dorm-mistress echoed down the hall. "Get back in bed, you little brats, before I drag you there myself!"

Everyone jumped into their beds immediately, stifling guilty giggles, not wanting to face the wrath of the motherly (yet bad-tempered) brownie dorm-mistress.

Atemu winked at Mana before slipping out of the door back to his bedroom, and she smiled into the darkness, allowing her lids to slide closed from exhaustion.

"Mana!" came a hiss from the other side of the shadowy room.

"What?" she replied, wearily.

"Why didn't you capture the sprite when you had the chance?"

"Miho, she saved my life!" Mana whispered, indignantly. "How could I do that to her?"

"Yeah… I guess. But you would have been famous, Mana! And rich, and renowned across the Realm! I can't believe you let that go."

Mana didn't reply, turning away from Miho's voice and huddling under the covers, irritated by the other girl's comments.

It was such an obvious answer, when you got down to it.

"It's because I like her," she murmured to herself, and finally drifted off to sleep.

* * *

_Four Weeks Later_

* * *

Mana hugged the small picnic basket to her chest, and hurried through the forest. Her heart beat fast, filled with excitement, just as it always did before she went to see her friend.

Over the last month, Mana had realised that Kisara wasn't a normal water sprite. She wasn't exactly out-going, but she certainly wasn't shy like most of her race; she was friendly, kind and most of all she was the most curious individual Mana had ever met. She wanted to know every detail about life at the Academy; what lessons Mana had, which were the best teachers, who Mana was friends with, what was the latest gossip, was it true that the pixie who taught the Water area of Elemental Magic was leaving the school to get married to an imp, what did Mana get up to in her free time, was she scared about the upcoming Exam, what did she think she would do after she left school, on and on and on….

But Mana never bored of the questions, and always answered them patiently, enjoying the look of avid interest on her friend's face as she poured out seemingly mundane details about the life that the sprite could never lead.

Mana had even asked Master Mahado whether the Academy would allow Kisara to apply, but her teacher had just shaken his head sadly, and replied that it wasn't possible.

Mana shook her head, as if to try and forget the look of bitter disappointment on Kisara's face when she had told her, and stumbled down the slope towards the pool.

"Kisara! Hey, Kisara! I'm here!" she called, setting down the basket and flopping down on the sand.

Seconds later her friend slipped out of the murky water and up the beach, spraying Mana with droplets of water as she reclined next to her.

"Hello," Kisara replied, slightly strangely. "Look, I've got to-"

Mana grinned, and threw a book at her, interrupting the sprite. "First, you've got to look at what I brought you!" she said, lying back down and shading her eyes. "Aren't I a great friend?"

Kisara turned the book over to see the bright slogan: 'Learn from home to be a fully-fledged Mage with this simple series of books, internationally recognised as the best Do-it-Yourself guide to Magic'.

"See?" Mana pressed, anxiously waiting her friend's reaction. "Even if you can't come to the school, then you can still learn how to be a mage. I'll get you all the books and everything, and if you need any help…." Mana trailed off, as she saw tears glimmering in the corner's of Kisara's eyes.

"Kisara?"

Kisara suddenly threw the book aside, drew up her knees and buried her face in them. Mana heard muffled sobs, and sat up in concern.

"Kisara, are you okay? Why are you crying? If the book upsets you I can take it away…"

But this only seemed to prompt a fresh bout of wailing, and Mana put an arm around the distraught water sprite, completely at a loss.

Finally Kisara had calmed down enough to choke out, "I-its n-no-not the-the b-b-book."

Mana rubbed Kisara's back soothingly. It worried her to see her friend so upset; she was usually so calm and collected.

"I-it's j-j-just th-that y-you're s-so kind, a-a-and I-I-I-"

"Okay, calm down," Mana said, worriedly. "It's alright. Just speak slowly, and tell me what's wrong."

Kisara took a deep breath.

"I w-was really upset when I f-found out about the Academy not taking sprites," she said, in a wobbly voice. "S-so I asked a travelling fairy, who told me about these schools that cater for all creatures that can't get taught anywhere else. All kinds go there to get a magical education - pixies, fairies, imps, dryads, nymphs, brownies, dwarves, goblins, sprites …Apparently, they even have werewolves and vampires! Anyway," Kisara paused to rub the tears off her face. "I wrote to them a few days ago, and I just received the reply."

"And?" asked Mana, excitedly.

"I got in," Kisara replied, mournfully. "I start next week."

Mana squealed and hugged the sprite joyfully. "That's great! This is brilliant, congratulations!"

But to her confusion, even more tears welled up in the sprite's eyes.

"It's good news, right?"

Kisara sighed, miserably. "The nearest school is over 1000 phoenix-flights away, on the other side of the Realm. My family are so proud that they've decided to start a new life with me in a lake near the school. We're moving in two days, and we're not coming back."

Mana stared at the sprite, horror-struck.

"Wh-what?" she whispered.

Kisara buried her face in Mana's shoulder. "I'm so sorry. You're my best friend, and I have to leave you…"

Sobs began to rack her body again, but this time Mana felt tears running down her own cheeks. She hugged Kisara close to her, and cried into her hair.

Neither of them knew how long they stayed like that, sitting on the beach, rocking back and forth and weeping.

Eventually, they broke apart, wiping their eyes and sniffing.

"I could write to you," Mana said, half-heartedly. "This doesn't have to be the end…"

Kisara shook her head. "The letters would take weeks to reach each other. Besides, you need to study for that exam of yours. You can't spend all your time writing to me." She gave a watery smile. "You're going to go far, Mana. I can tell that much."

There was a lump in Mana's throat. "You too, Kisara. This is what you always wanted."

Kisara's smile shook and fell away. "Yes. Yes, I suppose it is."

Mana stood up. "I'd better-" she gestured vaguely in the direction of the Academy. The sprite nodded, quickly, and stood up.

"Well, goodbye, Kisara," Mana whispered, not trusting herself to speak any louder. "And good luck."

"And you," Kisara took Mana's hand, covering it with her webbed one just as she had done all those weeks ago.

It was one of those strange moments, when afterwards you can rack your brains and try to figure out why you did it, but you can never quite find the answer. Mana always assumed it was just impulse, but at the back of her mind she always knew that she had wanted to do it ever since she first set eyes on the sprite sitting on the rock, singing to herself.

Mana leaned in and kissed her.

It was a simple kiss, a lingering one, slightly clumsy, but a perfectly ordinary one.

But it was so much more.

As soon as they broke apart, Mana turned on her heel and ran all the way back to the Academy. She crashed through dense vegetation, twigs whipping against her face, not daring to slow down in case she fell apart as soon as she stopped.

"Mana?" she heard the anxious voice of Atemu as she staggered through the backdoors to the Academy. "Why are you back so soon? And why are your clothes all ripped? Ma- hey, Mana! Wait for me!"

But she ignored him as she ran up the stairs. It seemed an eternity before she finally collapsed onto her bed, and allowed the sobs to rip through her.

Atemu stormed through the door, not bothering to knock. He was about to say ask her, angrily, why she had ignored him, when his eyes fell on the curled-up girl sobbing on the bed.

Wordlessly, he sat down and wrapped his arms around her. Mana buried her face in his chest and wept uncontrollably.

It was a long time before her tears ran out.

* * *

_Four Months Later_

* * *

"Congratulations!" Mana yelled, as she jumped into Atemu's arms, nearly causing him to drop the cream-coloured letter that he clutched, disbelievingly in his hand. He caught her with a grin, well used to her enthusiasm, and hugged her tightly, swinging her around and laughing.

"I knew it, I _knew_ it!" Mana said, eyes sparkling as he set her down. "I knew you'd get straight As!"

Atemu grinned. "Well… I did a lot of revision. That's all. Seriously!" he said, at Mana's sceptical expression.

"Well, I just think you're a genius," she teased, laughing at the faint blush that had spread across Atemu's cheeks.

"What about you?" he said, changing the subject quickly.

Mana looked nervously at the unopened envelope in her hand. "Umm…"

Atemu mock-glared at her. "Oh, come on. Open it, you coward!"

She stuck her tongue out at him, before slitting the envelope open with a trembling hand.

She read the grades with a yell of excitement. "Yes! I got nearly all As, and only two Bs!"

She threw her arms around Atemu's neck again with a squeal of happiness.

"Congratulations!" he smiled, bending down to kiss her gently. "I told you they'd be good," he whispered.

Mana smiled, and pulled him back down to deepen the kiss.

"Oh, do you two ever stop?" called Bakura, as he pushed his way through the crowded room of celebrating students. "You pleased, Mana?"

"Nearly all As, two Bs," she replied, grinning.

Atemu looked offended. "Aren't you going to ask me if I'm pleased?"

Bakura rolled his eyes. "Oh come on. Everyone knows you'll get straight As!"

At Atemu's embaressed look, Bakura teased, "Well, what was it?"

Atemu mumbled his grades, to Bakura's glee. "Congratulations, both of you!"

It took about another hour for the atmosphere to calm down slightly. Everyone had achieved high grades, and Mana could hear snatches of excited conversation about careers, and university, as she moved through the crowd, chatting to her friends.

It was Ryou that noticed it first.

"Hey, Mana, what's that?" he asked, curiously pointing to a tiny scribble on the back of Mana's letter.

Mana frowned, and squinted at the miniscule handwriting.

_I knew you'd go far. Congratulations._

Mana swallowed. It was suddenly very hard to breathe.

"Well?" pressed Ryou.

"Nothing," she replied quickly. "Um, you don't happen to know where the letters are sent from, do you? I mean, are they all sent together for every school in the Realm?"

Ryou nodded. "Yeah. They send them all together from this really secure place near the border. I think it's in the middle of some massive lake- you'd have to be a pretty amazing swimmer to get to the results before they're sent!"

Mana's heart pounded hard and fast in her chest, and her throat had suddenly constricted.

"Hey, are you alright?" Ryou asked, uncertainly.

Mana somehow managed to squeeze out a smile. "Yeah, of course. Just a bit… overwhelming, that's all."

Ryou looked sympathetic. "You should go out for a few minutes, you look like you're about to faint!"

Mana nodded, vaguely, and pushed her way out into the deserted corridor. She breathed the cooler air deeply, and tried to clear her tangled thoughts.

Kisara… She hadn't heard from the sprite in months, not since… Well, since she'd run off and never looked back. Mana's heart ached to write to her, to find the school's address from one of the teachers, or just to do _something._ Anything that would let her see the blue-skinned girl again.

No! The sensible voice in her head scolded. It took you too long to forget her. You're happy now, remember Atemu? Seeing her again, only a fool would willingly re-open those wounds.

"Mana? You okay?" Atemu's voice came from behind her. She took a deep breath, tore off the corner with the message on, and turned to him smiling.

"Yes."

He smiled at her, and pulled her close. "You're amazing, did I ever tell you that?"

"Only every day," Mana laughed. She leaned up to kiss him briefly then said, "Come on, let's go back in."

Holding hands, the pair turned back into the room, the scrap of paper lying forgotten on the floor. Mana never found the hasty, uncertain scribble on the other side which simply said:

_I love you._

* * *

_Four Years Later_

* * *

"I read your report on the unfair treatment of magical creatures with great interest, Miss..?"

"Mana, Sir."

"You present an interesting point. I agree that the level of injustice is uncomfortably high, but I doubt that there is a law that could be changed to fit it."

"But, Sir, you couldn't be more wrong," said Mana, animatedly, as she walked along the long corridors next to an ancient old mage, with a curling white moustache.

She blushed, as he raised an eyebrow. "I mean that with all due respect, Sir," she said hastily. "It's just that I'm sure we could make many changes. The education system, for example."

The older professor smiled. "Ah, yes, you mentioned that in your essay. You believe that it would be best if all creatures were allowed a magical education?"

"Certainly, Sir. I believe it very strongly- I've known many creatures that longed to learn, but weren't given the opportunity because they were a different race…"

Mana continued to talk, earnestly, to the Higher Professor as they progressed down the halls of the School of Magical Law. She had been studying there for over three years now, and was coming to the end of her course, fully trained to work in the King's Courts.

At the end of the hall, the professor turned to Mana and said, "I have to go to a lecture now, but I must say, it is wonderful to see such enthusiasm in one so young. I will definitely mention your name to the Head Professor. Your ideas on equality, especially in education, are exactly the kind of inspired thoughts that the Realm needs. Between you and me," he leaned in, conspiratorially, "I wouldn't be surprised if you ended up presenting this to the King himself in a few years! Your dream may really become reality, Miss Mana. You impress me, and believe me, that doesn't happen very often!"

Mana stammered, blushing bright red. "Th-thank you, Sir! You won't regret it, I promise!"

The old teacher winked at her kindly, and walked into one of the side lecture-rooms. Mana had to restrain herself from yelling in delight, and managed to hold it in until she reached the Public Gardens.

"Yes! Yes, yes, yes, yes, YES!" she screamed, jumping up and down in the middle of the lawn.

"Mana, control yourself," came an amused voice. "You're nearly a lawyer now. A respected figure can't be seen having hysterics in the middle of the city's gardens!"

Mana turned to smile at Atemu who had been sitting, waiting for her on a bench.

"Hi, sweetie," she said, kissing him briefly and sitting next to him. "Guess what?"

Before he could reply she had told him about the conversation with the Professor.

"That's fantastic! Well done, I'm so proud of you!" Atemu said, hugging her tightly.

"Isn't this brilliant?" she said, eyes sparkling with happiness. "In a few years, if I work hard, I could actually make this law! Millions of creatures could have opportunities that they never would have dreamed of if this comes through! Plus, if I get a place in the King's main Court, then I'll be working with you!"

Atemu beamed. He had been offered a job as one of the King's private Mages last year; one of the most senior posts in the Realm, and only awarded to the most powerful mages in existence. Although he hadn't thought he was good enough for the job, Mana had threatened that she would leave him if he didn't take it, and, sure enough, now that he was in, he couldn't enjoy his job more.

They remained on the park bench for the rest of the afternoon, watching people pass by, basking in each other's presence.

Eventually Mana stood up, stretched and grabbed Atemu's hand. "Come on. We have to get to that party of yours, and I want to get changed beforehand."

Atemu scowled; being a member of the Court meant that he had to take part in the many social events throughout the year, and he wasn't keen on dressing up to exchange small talk with various dignitaries. Neither was Mana, but she was too excited from her conversation with the professor to complain.

* * *

A few hours later they had arrived at the large, public ball-room that was often used for parties. It was already crowded with guests- the social crème-de-la-crème. Women dressed in the most expensive, fashionable dresses money could buy swished their way through the crowds, on the arms of equally well-dressed men. Nearly everyone there was some sort of famous mage, or poet, artist, officer, writer; you name them they were there. The hall was enormous, lit with thousands of invisible lights, with smooth mahogany floors, and towering windows lining one wall, that stretched all the way up to the ceiling, edged with red velvet curtains. Although crowd was mostly made up of humans, there were quite a few magical creatures scattered around.

Mana smoothed down her pale cream gown, and squeezed Atemu's hand.

"Well, then. We'd better go in."

Atemu made a face, and sighed. "I suppose." He picked up two glasses of champagne from a passing waiter, and handed one to Mana. "Cheers," he grinned, clinking them together.

The pair moved slowly through the crowd, smiling and nodding, and stopping to chat with a few faces they recognised. After only half and hour, Mana's fixed smile was waning, and she wanted nothing more than to get out of there as soon as possible.

"They're all so _shallow_!" she hissed to Atemu, as they wandered away from another tedious conversation. "That woman spent ten minutes telling me about where she had got her jewels, and just giggled when I told her about dwarves being exploited for diamond-mining, as though I was telling a joke!"

Atemu smiled at her. "They're not all like that, Mana. Most of the people here are very intelligent, and just as interested in dwarf-exploitation as you are, but I agree with you. Some are totally brainless…"

He trailed off, looking in astonishment over Mana's shoulder. He wasn't the only one; all around them conversations were dying out and people were staring, awe-struck, at the girl who had just entered.

Mana turned to see what was happening, and nearly had a heart attack.

It was her. She was standing there, resplendent in a midnight-blue ball-gown, long blue hair curling around her waist, chatting quietly to the tall man next to her, seemingly oblivious to all the stares and muttering.

Mana's jaw had dropped. "No…"

Atemu leaned in and whispered, "That's not…"

She nodded slowly.

"The one and only. That's Kisara."

"Oh. Do you want to leave?" Atemu asked, in concern. Although Mana had never told him the full story (she had always omitted the kiss) he had been the one that had supported her all through those weeks of endless tears and grief, and he didn't want Mana to go through all of that again.

She took a deep breath. "No. No, I think I can deal with this. Actually, I really want to see her."

She felt him squeeze her hand. "I'll be right here," he murmured in her ear.

Slowly, Mana walked up to the sprite who didn't appear to have noticed her.

"Kisara."

Kisara turned and stared, shocked, at Mana. For a split-second they were teenage girls again, best friends no matter what anyone said.

Instantly, the two were hugging and crying and forgetting everything that had happened, just because they were so happy to see each other. Atemu looked bemused, and shrugged at the tall brown-haired man who had been talking to Kisara as if to say 'I don't understand either'.

"I thought I'd never see you again," said Kisara, wiping her eyes.

"Neither did I," Mana replied. "I thought that was it."

Kisara nodded, as though speaking would cause another fresh wave of happy tears.

"Um, Oh, right," as she remembered the man behind her. "Mana, this is my fiancée, Set. Set, this was my best friend before I went to school."

"It's nice to meet you, Mana," Set said, formally, holding out his hand. Mana shook it, as if in a daze.

"Did you say… fiancée?"

Kisara beamed. "Yes. He only proposed to me last week."

"Oh. Congratulations!" Mana said, forcing as much enthusiasm into her voice as she could. "This is my boyfriend, Atemu."

"Of course!" Kisara smiled. "I remember you telling me about him. So, Mana, what are you doing at the moment?"

Mana told her all about her earlier conversation with the professor (which set off another round of joyful squealing and hugging) and Kisara told her how she was now a teacher, with a very prominent position at the University of Elemental Magic.

They carried on chatting for a while longer, but Mana's heart felt like it had just been punched. Kisara was engaged? A whole turmoil of emotions welled up inside her, and she desperately squashed them back down. No. That was past. You love Atemu, you love Atemu, you love Atemu…

Eventually, Mana arranged to meet Kisara the next day to catch up, said a polite goodbye to Set, and let Atemu lead her outside.

"Wow," he grinned. "That was… unexpected."

Mana sank down onto the stone bench, rubbing her temples. "You're telling me!" She sighed. "It's wonderful to see her, but…"

Atemu nodded, sympathetically. "You were so upset when she left," he said, quietly. "You two really cared for each other, didn't you. It must hurt to see her again."

Mana nodded. "Yeah," she whispered. "We really did." With a huge effort she raised her head, and smiled. "Thanks for bringing me out here, anyway. I needed some air!"

Atemu smiled, and sat down next to her. "Actually, I sort of wanted to talk to you alone."

Mana looked at him, curiously. He took a deep breath.

"Mana, you know I love you. I've loved you for years. And I know that I want to spend the rest of my life with you, I've never wanted anything more. Mana, will you marry me?"

Mana stared at the ring he was holding in shock. There were four jewels set in a row.

Four jewels…

_It was like… a bubbling stream, a rushing waterfall, the calm whoosh of the waves, the echo of the sea, all mixed into one haunting lullaby_…

_taste the bitter pond water leaking into her mouth as the darkness began to close in on her_

"_Why?" she asked, numbly. The sprite smiled. "I don't know why," she replied, calmly. "I didn't want you to drown, that's all."_

_and placed her cold, webbed hand on top of Mana's…_

"_It's nice to meet you, Mana." Mana returned Kisara's bright smile. "And you."_

_Four Hours Later…_

_It was such an obvious answer, when you got down to it. _"_It's because I like her," she murmured to herself, and finally drifted off to sleep…_

_Four Weeks Later…_

_Enjoying the look of avid interest on her friend's face as she poured out seemingly mundane details about the life that the sprite could never lead._

_Kisara turned the book over to see the bright slogan: 'Learn from home to be a fully-fledged Mage with this simple series of books, internationally recognised as the best Do-it-Yourself guide to Magic'._

"_S-so I asked a travelling fairy, who told me about these schools that cater for all creatures that can't get taught anywhere else."_

"_And?" asked Mana, excitedly. _"_I got in," Kisara replied, mournfully. "I start next week." Mana squealed and hugged the sprite joyfully. "That's great! This is brilliant, congratulations!"'_

_She gave a watery smile. "You're going to go far, Mana. I can tell that much." There was a lump in Mana's throat. "You too, Kisara. This is what you always wanted."_

'"_Well, goodbye, Kisara," Mana whispered, not trusting herself to speak any louder. "And good luck." _"_And you," Kisara took Mana's hand, covering it with her webbed one just as she had done all those weeks ago._

_Mana leaned in and kissed her. It was a simple kiss, a lingering one, slightly clumsy, but a perfectly ordinary one. But it was so much more. _

_Mana buried her face in his chest and wept uncontrollably. It was a long time before her tears ran out._

_Four Months Later_

_Mana frowned, and squinted at the miniscule handwriting. __I knew you'd go far. Congratulations._

"_I think it's in the middle of some massive lake- you'd have to be a pretty amazing swimmer to get to the results before they're sent!"_

_Holding hands, the pair turned back into the room, the scrap of paper lying forgotten on the floor. Mana never found the hasty, uncertain scribble on the other side which simply said: __I love you._

_Four Years Later_

"_You believe that it would be best if all creatures were allowed a magical education?"_

_Mana turned to see what was happening, and nearly had a heart attack. It was her. She was standing there, resplendent in a midnight-blue ball-gown, long blue hair curling around her waist, chatting quietly to the tall man next to her, seemingly oblivious to all the stares and muttering._

"_I thought I'd never see you again," said Kisara, wiping her eyes._

"_Mana, this is my fiancée, Set. Set, this was my best friend before I went to school."_

"_Mana, you know I love you. I've loved you for years. And I know that I want to spend the rest of my life with you, I've never wanted anything more. Mana, will you marry me?"_

_Four jewels, four years, four months, four weeks, four hours…_

_Fiancée, kiss, school, "This is my fiancée" 'Mana leaned in and kissed her' "Over 1000 phoenix-flights away" "We're leaving in two days and we're not coming back"… _

_LovefianceeManakissschoolKisaraspritehumanAtemuseparationSetengagement_

_Lovelovelovelove_

_ManaKisaraAtemuSet_

_Four_

"Yes. Yes, I'll marry you," Mana said throwing her arms around Atemu.

(And at that moment she honestly thought the tears running down her face were from happiness, and not from seeing Kisara's pale face watching her through the window.)

"I love you, Mana."

"I love you too, Atemu."

* * *

**Did you like it? I hope it wasn't too confusing and random... Anyway, thanks a lot for reading! ^^**

**Bookworm**


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